It's Ironic
by ManaketeSmoocher
Summary: [Ghost AU] When you're a ghost, you generally don't expect to be talking to your old crush. Sometimes it happens anyways.


**A/N - Soapy is my MU. They use all pronouns, but when it's from their PoV I'll be using they/them. Other characters will use different pronouns (Leon uses he/him, Marx uses she/her, etc.) so please try not to be confused by pronoun usage!**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

* * *

Soapy had lived a rather pleasant life. Their mother loved them, as well as their sister, cousin, and aunt. High school had been difficult, but not impossible with the help of their friends. They recalled Flora in particular helping them with their studies. Their first boyfriend had been one of their closest friends at the time, Takumi. They'd met through marching band, and after nearly a year of dancing around their feelings, Soapy kissed him directly on the lips in front of pretty much the entire band. It was a sort of ridiculous event that usually only happened in fanfictions, or romantic comedies. They dated for quite a while, and Soapy found that they got along quite well with his family.

Sakura was easily their favorite of their boyfriend's siblings. She was kindhearted, and they shared a fondness for sweets. The day she discovered they could make delectable sugar cookies was the day their friendship ascended to a higher plane, though they were sure it couldn't rival their relationship with Felicia. Soapy probably spent too much time with their boyfriend's younger sister, but they didn't really care. Sakura was a good person, and wonderful to be around. It was through Sakura that they met Elise, as well.

Elise was a girl the same age as Sakura. They'd been friends for longer than they'd known either of them, and Elise was generally more energetic than the pink haired girl. Soapy enjoyed their time with both of them, and the three often played Animal Crossing together. Sakura's town was undeniably the most detailed, and she had designed her flag, along with the pathways, completely by herself. Soapy was more than impressed by this, as they'd downloaded theirs from somewhere on the internet. Elise's town was rather pretty as well, though nowhere near the detail that Sakura's had. If they recalled correctly, this was because Elise spent most of her time decorating her house, or helping Sakura with her town.

Takumi's older siblings, Ryoma and Hinoka, weren't around as much as Sakura was. This led to Soapy not interacting with them as much. Elise's older sister, on the other hand, seemed to visit her family quite regularly. Camilla was a very motherly sort of figure, and Soapy was sure that if, in some strange alternate universe where they were raised by her family as opposed to their own, they would view Camilla as their mother in some ways. The families were rather pleasant to be around, they found. Sumeragi seemed to have practically adopted Soapy by the time they were a senior, something Soapy always found funny considering the fact that he'd dated Mikoto in the past. Soapy doubted Sumeragi knew they were Mikoto's child, however, and Soapy felt the need to keep it that way. Garon was oddly fond of them as well, and Soapy enjoyed being accepted into the families.

When they were spending the night at Garon's house, they would often go to the kitchen to find something to drink, intending to go back to wherever they were sleeping that night after quenching their thirst. Sometimes they would see Garon awake in the dark room, looking through some sort of photo album. They'd get their water, wonder if they should pry, then ultimately decide against it before returning to the room they were sleeping in. That happened every time, but one night they felt a bit more curious than usual. Soapy got their water, stood there for a moment, then sat on the couch next to the man. Garon almost didn't seem to notice them, but before they could try to get a look at the photo album, he closed it. The teenager wondered what exactly it was they should ask about, but Garon spoke first.

"What is it?" He sounded so very tired, and strangely sad. That happened sometimes, yet they hadn't been prepared for it.

"I was just wondering… I always see you here with some album…" They frowned, drinking his water. "I dunno. You look sad." Garon let out a dry laugh.

"I suppose I am sad. That's not anything you should worry about though." He stroked the cover of the album, which had a picture centered in it. Soapy recognized Garon, Marx, Camilla, and Elise, but…

"Who's that?" They pointed to who looked like a short blonde girl, wearing a pair of rather dorky glasses. Garon sighed, and Soapy realized that was probably a sensitive subject.

"She-" He paused before correcting himself. "He was my youngest son." Soapy blinked, looking back at the picture. The boy looked somewhat awkward, as if he didn't really want to be smiling, or in the picture at all.

"Your son?" They tilted their head to get a better look. "How come I've never met him?" Garon stood from the couch, putting the album back on the shelf.

"It would be hard to meet someone who's been dead for a year."

Before Soapy could speak another word, Garon had left them alone in the living room. It took them a long moment to stand from the couch, and as they returned to the guest room, their attention was caught by a door they'd never seen opened. It was a room right next to the guest room they often slept in, yet somehow they'd never seen anybody touch its handle. Elise had even skipped over it when she gave them the tour of the house the first time they visited. The handle itself looked dusty, and Soapy had to wonder about the room. Could it be the dead sibling? They'd nearly tried to go inside when they heard the footsteps of Camilla approaching. She was in town for whatever reason, though Soapy couldn't remember why. They didn't care too much about why she was there, but they were definitely glad to see her.

"Oh? Soapy, what are you doing out of bed?" She drew her robe tighter around herself upon seeing them.

"I was just… getting water." They held the water a little higher.

"Something on your mind?" They contemplated asking about her younger brother. Against their own better judgment, they did.

"Your dad was looking at a photo album… I didn't know you had a little brother." Camilla's face fell almost immediately, her gaze flicking to the untouched door.

"I didn't either… Not until last year…" She sounded guilty, though Soapy couldn't understand why. They regretted mentioning anything, because she looked so terribly sad. "I don't really want to talk about it. Go on to bed, I'll see you in the morning." Camilla's smile seemed strained.

"I… yeah. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, darling."

The woman hugged Soapy briefly, kissing their forehead before continuing on her way. If anything, it just made them more curious. Their attention shifted back to the door they suspected to belong to the nameless brother. Soapy felt an odd breeze as they stood outside the room, something that confused them as none of the windows were open. They shivered, feeling rather cold in the low temperature of the air conditioner. The longer they stared at the door, the more curious they got, and though they knew it was wrong, they wanted to go inside more than anything. Frowning to themself, they finished the water, using the empty cup as an excuse to leave the spot they'd been standing in for minutes. Soapy absently wondered where Camilla went before they heard her voice mingling with her father's in the old man's office.

Figuring they probably wouldn't have the opportunity or nerve to enter the room on any other occasion, they turned the knob, feeling the cold metal against their bare skin and shivering. Upon closing the door behind them, they found that the first thing they did was sneeze. They didn't even have the chance to observe the room before a sneezing fit took over, and they cursed the fact that the room was so dusty. Pulling their shirt over their nose and mouth allowed them to stop and adjust to the particles in the air as they observed the room.

Said room was rather tidy, save for the dust. The bed was made immaculately, and the many books in the shelves were arranged by subject matter and author. A laptop sat closed on the desk, and the carpet was soft against their bare feet. It looked as if nobody had touched the room in a year, which was probably completely true. Soapy felt as if someone was staring at them, making the hairs on the back of their neck prickle. When he turned around, however, nobody was there. Feeling slightly uneasy, they looked at the bookshelf. Many books were rather thick, but there were other shorter ones. Reaching the desk, they saw some sort of note, but they didn't bother to read it because that would take longer than they wanted. After looking around the surprisingly bare room, they gingerly laid their back on the bed. Somehow, everything still smelled faintly of something Soapy couldn't quite put their finger on. The silence was interrupted momentarily.

"Well, would you look at that. Soapy himself on your bed, but of course it's not how you wanted it in life." A pause. "Just imagining him on top of you, your hot breaths mingling as you strip each others clothes off…" Soapy felt themself blush. "Almost makes you wish you hadn't… Ah, but you did. No point looking back now, hmm? Then again…" The voice trailed off, obviously talking to itself.

"I- umm, hello?" Soapy swallowed the lump in their throat. Who the hell was this person who seemed so thirsty for them?

"Shit, he can hear me." The voice sounded farther away. "That's embarrassing." It mumbled something. Soapy sat up, blush still apparent on their face.

"Am I not supposed to be able to hear you?" They looked around, not seeing the owner of the voice.

"Of course not." It was right next to them, causing them to jump in surprise. "I'm dead." Soapy looked at where the voice was coming from and nearly shouted in surprise at the sight of a floating, purple, translucent person.

"Did you die in a fire?" The ghost raised a brow, but Soapy continued before it could respond. "Because gods damn, you're hot."

"What are you-" Its eyes widened and it covered its mouth. Soapy suspected the darkening purple on its cheeks was a blush. The ghost disappeared.

"Wait, shit, I'm sorry, please come back." Soapy groaned. They had a boyfriend! Why were they flirting with some ghost!? Thinking back on it, they'd recently found their affections for Takumi waning…

"I-I'm still here, I just… wasn't expecting you to…" Soapy saw a soft purple glow at the foot of the bed. It appeared that the ghost was sitting on the floor.

"I'm really sorry…" He pouted.

"Don't be. I'm… actually really happy to hear you say that to me." Soapy decided not to question why a terrible pickup line would make it happy.

"How do you know my name?" They questioned, laying on their stomach with their face closer to the ghost.

"We went to school together." The ghost sounded sort of upset. "Don't feel bad for not knowing me. I was invisible to everyone but my tormentors." Before Soapy could interject, it kept talking. "We only went to school together for about a year and a half, but… I always…" Its voice got quiet. "I would always watch you from afar, admiring how brave you were to ignore anyone who said anything negative to you." Soapy was touched by its words, but they also made them sad.

"... What's your name?" The glow became clearer as Soapy asked, and they could distinguish its features once more.

"Leon. I'm the little brother." He stated, and Soapy blinked.

"You look nothing like you did in that picture." Leon frowned. "Not that that's a bad thing! You look way better without long hair." Soapy instinctively reached out to touch it, feeling awkward when their hand passed through.

"That was taken two years ago. Before I started taking, umm, hormones." Soapy gave him a questioning look. "Testosterone. I… I'm trans." Leon looked uncomfortable, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh?" Soapy searched his brain for definitions. "Oh! Okay. That makes sense. You looked completely different." Leon smiled a little awkwardly.

"Wow, I never thought I would tell anyone that. Especially not you. Not even my family knew until after I… yeah." Soapy frowned.

"After you what?" Leon looked away.

"That's kind of personal, but… I'll just say after I died." Soapy nodded, but then looked confused.

"Wait, if your dad didn't know you were trans, how'd you get hormones?" Leon's cheeks tinged purple; a blush that gave away his shame.

"Illegally. I don't know if you've noticed, but my family is sort of rich. I doubt father noticed any money was missing." Before Soapy could say anything, Leon changed the subject. "Gods, I can't believe you're talking to me…"

"Why not?" Soapy scooted closer to him, causing the blush on his face to deepen. "Well, besides the whole 'being dead' thing."

"I'd like to say that I can usually control when people can and can't hear me." He disappeared for a full minute before Soapy could see him again. "I just described how dying feels in excruciating detail."

"Oh. Don't do that." Soapy pouted, and Leon tried his best to ignore it, but he couldn't help thinking it was ridiculously cute.

"I just… I suppose it's ironic that you of all people are talking to me for the first time. After I've died."

"And what's so special about me?" Soapy giggled, and Leon's face flushed even more. It almost looked like his cheeks were glowing purple.

"Gods, you're oblivious…"

Soapy just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. The purple boy faded away, looking embarrassed, and Soapy pouted. They waited for him to appear again, though when he did he didn't do so fully. It was more a vague, purple cloud in the general shape of a human. Soapy looked at him curiously, gasping when what felt like a hand touched their cheek. It was soft, and Soapy subconsciously leaned into the touch, closing their eyes. They felt pressure on their lips, and it occurred to them that they were being kissed. Their hands automatically moved to hold their partner, but were met with nothing. It was an odd feeling, but they kissed back without thinking anyways. They realized they probably shouldn't have, because they were still dating Takumi, but something about the strange kiss felt so natural and _right_ to them. As if Leon was the one they were always meant to be with. Leon broke away, and changed from being an indistinct cloud to a translucent person. His cheeks were rather flushed.

"I wasn't expecting you to kiss back." Soapy giggled.

"You're cute." Leon turned completely invisible.

"This is embarrassing. Don't look at me." Soapy just giggled again.

"I couldn't if I tried." Soapy laid down, Leon joining soon after, tentatively resting his head on Soapy's chest. Neither of them could feel it, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Soapy yawned.

"It's late. You should get some rest." Soapy was startled slightly by the voice coming from the invisible person resting on them.

"I guess you're right… Stay with me?" The living one yawned again, moving the blankets to be on top of them.

"You're the one in my bed. Where else would I go?"

Leon stayed invisible and intangible, but somehow, Soapy thought they felt a shy pair of arms wrapping themselves around them as they drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

 _ **Word Count: 2,613**_

 **I don't know if you noticed but I strategically posted this after I posted the first part of Overdose uwu**

 **Anyways, there's "part one" of the Ghost AU! My AU series usually don't have a very specific order you have to read them in, but I usually DO have a "part one" that is recommended to be read first? Like for my Fashion AU, you should probably read Little Brother first :U My regular Modern High School AU doesn't really have a "part one" (I started writing it like in the direct middle of their high school years then backtracked and went into the future, etc.) tbh you could read it from any point, as I try to mention plot important things that happened in other fics so that you have context for what's going on? I'm so sorry you don't need to read any of that c':**

 **This can sort of be considered an AU of my already existing modern AU? It's basically just that universe, but Leon didn't come out as trans to his family, so he was stuck in the closet and extremely depressed. His depression in this AU was way worse than the one in the modern AU because of this, and he ended up not skipping a grade because he couldn't bring forth the energy to care about that sort of thing? And because he didn't SKIP a grade, he wasn't in the same grade as Soapy by the time freshman year in high school came around, so the two of them never met, but Leon formed a crush on Soapy anyways. He gets bullied because he isn't confident in himself due to being so closeted, and Soapy is completely oblivious to it all. They meet Takumi their sophomore year through marching band, and without Leon there to capture Soapy's attention, they end up dating him instead of Leon. Leon sort of isn't alive by the time they started dating... I've thought about this a lot okay**

 **vvv IMPORTANT vvv**

 **If you haven't seen it already (I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't), I'd like to direct your attention to the poll on my profile! It's just to see what you lovely readers want to see more of so I can dedicate my attention to those fics moreso than the others~!**

 **I really hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope to see you again sometime!**


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